Is Something Eating My Tanks Nitrates?

[Malawakiwhite]

Hi, I'm at the end of cycling and getting fish wednesday. I did a nitrates test yesterday and expected it to be off the scale as no water changes have been carried out yet but it wasn't it was somewhere between 20 and 50ppm. Is that normal?

 

[ZoddyZod]

Hi, I'm at the end of cycling and getting fish wednesday. I did a nitrates test yesterday and expected it to be off the scale as no water changes have been carried out yet but it wasn't it was somewhere between 20 and 50ppm. Is that normal?

what are your nitrate levels from the tap? If they are lower, then it's clear that your nitrates are building and the tank is cycled.

The only thing that will 'eat' nitrates is plants. But you would have to have a very densely planted tank to see nitrates drop.

 

[Malawakiwhite]

Apparently looking on internet there are anaerobic bacteria that convert nitrates to a gas that then leaves the tank. My readings in early cycling were off the chart for nitrates but now they are not and I have no live plants or algae in the tank. Interesting stuff!

 

[OldMan47]

If you have lots of plants or lots of algae in your tank, it is entirely possible that they have consumed your nitrates. Lots of plants, enough to have that effect, will look like this.

On the other hand this tank is not heavily enough planted to have that effect.